Vitamin D3 and Molecular Pathway of Skin Aging

Skin aging has been a concern for most people, not only women but also men. Signs of aging, such as lines, wrinkles, dry skin, hyperpigmentation, and loss of elasticity, affect skin appearance and self-confidence. Two domain factors that stimulate skin aging are intrinsic (age, lifestyle) and extrinsic (mostly UV irradiation) factors. Those factors could generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which becomes the primary cause of collagen breakdown through matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Collagen and elastin are proteins that play a pivotal role in skin aging because they maintain skin integrity, strength, and resilience. Several studies have reported the effects of vitamin D as a promising agent for skin aging prevention, particularly its effect on collagen synthesis and MMPs inhibition. This review focuses on identifying and assessing the molecular pathways of vitamin D effects on skin aging. Vitamin D3 has a contradictory effect on MMPs, TGF-β, and estrogen. Several studies have reported that vitamin D increases collagen synthesis, but insufficient level of this vitamin could clinically decrease skin elasticity. Overall, vitamin D3 positively affects skin aging through comprehensive mechanisms of inflammatory responses, epidermal barrier preservation, antioxidative activities, DNA damage prevention, DNA repair, and photoprotective actions on the skin. Future research could investigate the other forms of vitamin D3 (polymorphisms, analogs, and metabolites) as a supplement for antiaging of the skin or even senomorphic therapy.